


How Rare and Beautiful it is that We Exist

by TenTomatoes



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, First Meetings, Fluff, Growing Old Together, M/M, just a lot of fluff, sorry about the angst, very slight agnst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-03
Updated: 2015-03-03
Packaged: 2018-03-16 02:49:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3471560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TenTomatoes/pseuds/TenTomatoes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In one universe the men look up.<br/>In another they look down.<br/>It shouldn't make a difference but it does.</p>
            </blockquote>





	How Rare and Beautiful it is that We Exist

**Author's Note:**

> Title is taken from Saturn by Sleeping at Last

In this universe the day is cold and billowy, two men rush down the street weaving between other pedestrians; they walk past each other, shoulders brushing ever so slightly, but neither notice and they continue to walk on.

 

In another universe the day is cold and billowy, two men rush down the street weaving between other pedestrians, both men look down and run straight into each other. The smaller man’s bag tumbles to the ground, papers and books scattering over the ground.

The tall man growls _watch where you’re going_ , and turns to continue on his way.

The small man grabs his arm and pulls him back. He growls back _why don’t you watch where you’re going, you’re as much at fault as I am_.

The tall man stares disdainfully and they begin to argue, loud and angry. The other people walk around them giving them a width berth of space as the small man flails and the tall man glares.

The small man says _at least help me pick up my things_.

The tall man scoffs but does it anyway.

They work quickly, quietly, glaring each time they meet eyes. The tall man picks up a book, looks at the title, and lets out a loud snort.

The small man says _is there a problem_?

The tall man says _this is a shit book_ and they begin to argue again.

They argue and argue and argue until the small man lets out a half scream, says _you are the most frustrating man I’ve ever met_ , and turns on his heel stomping away.

The tall man walks away feeling proud but annoyed and it takes him an hour before he realizes he never gave back the book and groans. He opens the cover and finds a name written in the front, the script is curvy and hard to read but he makes out a name. Bilbo Baggins.

He finds Bilbo Baggins’ home and knocks once. The door opens and Bilbo stares in an even mixture of shock, confusion, and anger.

The tall man extends the book wordlessly. Bilbo takes it without meeting his eyes.

He says _thank you_ and trails off realizing he didn’t know the tall man’s name.

The tall man says _Thorin_ and Bilbo says thank you once again.

Bilbo closes the door slowly.

Thorin says _it’s still a shit book_.

Bilbo scowls.

They argue about it over coffee and tea.  

The next week, they argue about something else over lunch.

A few days later, they talk about something else over dinner.

A month later, Thorin kisses Bilbo at his doorstep and Bilbo invites him in and he doesn’t leave until the next morning.

Bilbo meets Thorin’s sister and nephews in the summer. Dis glares and then grins and tells him about the time Thorin got lost and ended up in France for a day, Fili and Kili stare up at him and call him Mr. Boggins and jump on him until he tells them stories, and Thorin watches it all with a smile that melts Bilbo’s heart. When they’re leaving Fili makes him promise he’ll come back and Dis gives him a hug so tight he thinks he’s going to burst. Thorin holds his hand the entire drive back.

Thorin and Bilbo can’t decide whose apartment they want to move into so they look for a new one. It has a giant dining room and kitchen for Bilbo and an office for each of them and a spare room for when Fili and Kili visit. And when Thorin stands next to Bilbo in the box filled apartment he’s never been surer about anything in his entire life. Thorin picks Bilbo up and carries him over the threshold just because he can.

Thorin’s friends become Bilbo’s friends and for Christmas they all pack into their large dining room and they throw food at each other and they give each other inappropriate gifts but Bilbo finds he doesn’t care. He can’t breathe he laughs so much and Thorin kisses him under the mistletoe he hadn’t put up and he wonders what his life had been before this man entered it. He doesn’t spend much time thinking about it because Fili is trying to play with his new sword in the house and that will only end with broken china.

For their first anniversary Bilbo gives Thorin his copy of the book that had brought them together. Thorin maintains it’s a shit book and they argue about it as they curl up on the couch and watch the news.

For their second anniversary Thorin gives Bilbo a ring made of gold and asks a question. Bilbo says yes and he doesn’t cry only because he had seen the box left on the dresser a week ago.

They marry in the spring and Dwalin cries. He blames it on the flowers, which Bilbo admits he might have gone overboard on, but no one believes him. Kili practically throws the flowers in his basket on the guest’s heads and Fili drops the rings as he’s walking down the aisle. Thorin’s vow is so long and drawn out it lasts ten minutes but for the first time Bilbo listens to every single word and by the time it’s time to say his own vows he’s trying not to cry. Bilbo barely waits for Gandalf to say the words before he’s launching himself at Thorin and they’re kissing deep and wonderful. That night they spend what feels like hours simply staring at each other and the rings on their fingers and wondering how they could be so lucky.

Drogo and Primula die and Bilbo has no time to mourn before he’s face to face with his now orphaned godson. Frodo is only six and he feels like his heart is breaking every time he catches a sight of his parents in the boy. He’s so young and he’s lost so much so Bilbo welcomes him into their apartment and in their bed at night when he wakes up crying. Frodo curls up between Thorin and Bilbo and claps his tiny hands in their shirts and begs them not to go away, not like his mom and dad had. They stroke his hair and whisper him promises until he falls asleep. It only takes Bilbo mentioning the word before Thorin is agreeing and the next thing they know they’re signing adoption papers and Thorin and Bilbo are officially fathers.  

They buy a house. A real house because they’re a real family. There are too many bedrooms to be practical but they all get used by visiting friends and family so the house is big but never feels empty. Bilbo gets a giant garden out back that Thorin has to drag him from in the summer. He grows vegetables and fruits and there are always flowers in vases around the house. He plants an oak tree saying someday it will grow strong and tall and it will last even when they are gone. Thorin builds Frodo a playset in the back yard that he and his friends adore. They have friendly neighbors and they live in a good school district and Bilbo makes brownies for the PTA meetings that he and Thorin both attend. Some days Thorin thinks about getting a dog.

Bilbo cries when Frodo graduates and leaves for college. It’s only two hours away but it’s a world away to Bilbo.

Thorin cries when Frodo gets married to his childhood friend and he spends the next week talking about how his baby is all grown up. Bilbo pats his hands and kisses his cheek until Thorin calms down.

They never have grandchildren, but there’s enough small children from Kili and Fili and Ori and Gimli running around that call them Grandpa that they don’t feel like they’re missing anything.

Bilbo is the first to turn all white, even though Thorin was the first to go gray. Thorin teases him about it but kisses his wrinkling skin and murmurs about how he’s still as beautiful as the day they first met.

Bilbo laughs and says _you hated me quite a lot when we first met, I know I sure despised you._

Thorin says _yes but I still thought you were the most beautiful man I’ve ever ran into_.

Bilbo rolls his eyes and says _run into a lot of men did you_?

Thorin says _only one that truly mattered_.

And Bilbo falls in love all over again.

It gets harder to walk and harder to move but they don’t get any less happy and that’s all that matters.

Thorin dies in his sleep long after everyone predicted the stubborn old man would last. Bilbo follows him only a few days later to no one’s surprise. Their funeral is big and crowded filled with all the people they held dear and while some tears are shed it’s a time for celebration. They’re buried together under the oak tree Bilbo planted so long ago and they spend the rest of eternity resting in the shade together.  

 

But this is not that universe.

 

In this universe the day is cold and billowy, two men rush down the street weaving between other pedestrians; they walk past each other, shoulders brushing ever so slightly, but neither notice and they continue to walk on.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Yet another idea thought up when I should have been sleeping. I just thought the idea of a single moment changing your entire life forever is horrifying but amazing so I wrote it with Thorin and Bilbo and got to write about them growing old together. Yay. Sorry about the horrid sentence structures and grammar, I typed this up quickly and just for fun.


End file.
